Kajaani
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kajaani (; ), is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and the regional capital of
Kainuu Kainuu (), also historically known as Cajania (), is one of the 19 regions of Finland (''maakunta'' / ''landskap''). Kainuu borders the regions of North Ostrobothnia, North Savo and North Karelia. In the east, it also borders Russia (Republic o ...
. Kajaani is located southeast of Lake Oulu, which drains into the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...
through the
Oulu River Oulujoki () is a river in North Ostrobothnia, Finland. Its name in Finnish literally means "Oulu River", originally in old Northern Ostrobothnian dialect literally "Flood River". Its origin is Oulujärvi, and its watershed area covers a signif ...
. The population of Kajaani is approximately , while the
sub-region A subregion is a part of a larger geographical region or continent. Cardinal directions are commonly used to define subregions. There are many criteria for creating systems of subregions; this article is focusing on the United Nations geoscheme ...
has a population of approximately . It is the most populous
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in Finland. The town was founded in the 17th century, fueled by the growth of the tar industry, but it was preceded by a long history of settlements. During the
Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...
it succumbed to Russian forces, who ruined
Kajaani Castle The Kajaani Castle (, , ''Kajaneborgs slott'', older spelling ''Cajanaborg'') is a ruined fortress built of granite in Kajaani. The castle was built in the early 17th century on an islet in the Kajaani River, between the Ämmäkoski and Koivuko ...
in 1716. Today, the local economy is mainly driven by the
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
,
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
, and
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
industries, although
UPM Kymmene UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM ...
's paper mill, the main employer from 1907 until 2008, has since closed. Kajaani's church was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by the architect Jac Ahrenberg to replace an earlier church. Kajaani's town theatre was established in 1969. Kajaani is home to two football clubs,
AC Kajaani AC Kajaani was a association football, football club from Kajaani, Finland. The club was formed in 2006 after the merger of FC Tarmo and Kajaanin Palloilijat (KaPa). Their home ground was Kajaanin Liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team la ...
and
Kajaanin Haka Kajaanin Haka (abbreviated KajHa) is a football club from Kajaani in Finland. The club was formed in 1953 and their home ground is at the Kajaanin liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division). ...
, and the ice hockey team
Hokki Kajaanin Hokki was a Finnish ice hockey team based at Kajaani. The team was founded in 1968 and folded in 2025 due to bankruptcy. The last season of Hokki was the 2024-25 Mestis season where they positioned last. The club Hokki was promoted f ...
. The Kajaani University of Applied Sciences was established in 1992. Kajaani is also home to
LUMI LUMI (Large Unified Modern Infrastructure) is a petascale supercomputer located at the CSC data center in Kajaani, Finland. In January 2023, the computer became the fastest supercomputer in Europe. The completed system consists of 362,496 core ...
, the "fastest
supercomputer A supercomputer is a type of computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) instead of million instruc ...
in the EU", which is located on the former paper mill site of UPM.


History

Kajaani was one of the cities founded on 6 March 1651 by the
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
Governor General of Finland, Per Brahe. At that time, the Kainuu region—as wood country—was an important producer of
tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
derived from pine, and the tar trade was its major industry. In 1653–4 the district court sessions of Kajaani and
Sotkamo Sotkamo is a municipality of Finland, located in the Kainuu region about east of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu. Vuokatti, in west of Sotkamo, is the most populous village in the municipality and also a popular skiing resort. Both Hiidenportti ...
were responsible for authorizing a road to be built between
Säräisniemi Säräisniemi () is a village in the Vaala, Vaala municipality in North Ostrobothnia, Finland. The village was the municipal center of the then Säräisniemi municipality until 1954. The village is located on the west side of Lake Oulujärvi, on t ...
and
Raahe Raahe (; ; ) is a town in Finland, located on the western coast of the country. Raahe is situated in the North Ostrobothnia region, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Raahe is approximately , while the sub-region has a population of a ...
, improving communications in the region. During the
Greater Wrath The Great Wrath (, in contemporary sources: , ; ) was a period of Finnish history dominated by the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Finland, then part of the Swedish Empire, from 1714 until the Treaty of Nystad (1721), ...
in the 18th century,
Kajaani Castle The Kajaani Castle (, , ''Kajaneborgs slott'', older spelling ''Cajanaborg'') is a ruined fortress built of granite in Kajaani. The castle was built in the early 17th century on an islet in the Kajaani River, between the Ämmäkoski and Koivuko ...
was forced to surrender to
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n forces. The Russians blew the castle up in March 1716, and it has been in ruins ever since. On 17 October 1808, General
Johan August Sandels Count Johan August Sandels (31 August 1764 – 22 January 1831) was a Swedish soldier and politician, being appointed Governor-general of Norway (''Riksståthållare'' in Swedish, ''Rigsstatholder'' in Dano-Norwegian) 1818 and Field Marshal ...
won a key victory to the south of Kajaani near
Iisalmi Iisalmi (; ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in the regions of Finland, region of Northern Savonia in Finland. It is located north of Kuopio and south of Kajaani. The municipality has a population of (), ...
during the
Battle of Koljonvirta The Battle of Koljonvirta (, ) i.e. the ''Battle of the Virta Bridge'', also known as the battle of Idensalmi, was fought between Swedish and Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia ...
of the
Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...
, when his army of just 1,800 defeated over 6,000 Russians. There is a monument on the east side of the river marking where the spot where Lieutenant Jakob Henrik Zidén and Major-General
Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov Prince Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov (Russian: Князь Михаил Петрович Долгоруков; 1780—1808) was a Russian prince and general who died at the Battle of Koljonvirta, Battle of Virta Bridge against the Swedes on 27 Octob ...
fell. In early 1833, medical doctor
Elias Lönnrot Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
, best known for compiling the ''
Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...
'', the national epic of Finland, was appointed district physician in Kajaani and was assigned to assist in dealing with the
typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
and
cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...
epidemic which was raging during the 1830s. The disease was difficult to treat and he soon fell ill himself with typhus at the end of February 1833 but recovered. Kajaani was severely affected by the famine in 1867–1868 which devastated much of Finland, but the town gradually recovered and by the end of the century had grown to more than 1200 inhabitants. Kajaani Town Hall was built in 1831, the former City Library in 1852, Kainuu's first elementary school in 1883, and Kajaani Church in 1896 as it grew into a notable settlement. The paper industry took off in Kajaani in the early 20th century in particular. Kajaani Paper Mill was built in 1907 and was run by the firm Kajaani Oy, which had a capital of FMK 5,000,000 (£137,615) in 1948. Kajaani Oy was eventually acquired by
Valmet Valmet Oyj, a Finnish company, is a developer and supplier of process technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp, paper, energy industries. Flow control serves a wider base of process industries. History 1999–2012 Valmet ...
in 1983, and the subsidiary Kajaani Electronics was formed. Ämmäkoski power plant was built on the river in 1917 by the Kajaani Lumber Company, and underwent alterations under architect Eino Pitkänen in the 1940s. The city's grew in the 1960s to 14,600 inhabitants. Industrial development in the 1970s, and the merger of the separate rural municipality of Kajaani, Kajaanin maalaiskunta, and the city in 1977 saw the population jump to 34,574 by 1980.
Vuolijoki Vuolijoki () is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality in Finland. The municipality was consolidated with the city of Kajaani in the beginning of year 2007. Vuolijoki was located in the provinces of Finland, province of ...
was consolidated with Kajaani at the beginning of 2007. In 2012, an oil spill occurred in Kajaani. 110,000 liters of oily water leaked into a river that eventually flowed into the
Oulujärvi Oulujärvi () or Lake Oulu or Ule (), is a large lake in the Kainuu region of Finland. It is also historically known as Lake Cajania from a former name of Kainuu.. With an area of it is the List of lakes of Finland, fifth largest lake in the cou ...
lake.


Geography

Kajaani is situated in the heart of central Finland. By road is it north-northwest of
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
, north of
Kuopio Kuopio ( , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Kuopio is approximately , while the Kuopio sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mos ...
, and southeast of
Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
. Villages in the vicinity include
Jormua Jormua is an old village on the shore of the lake of Oulujärvi in the town of Kajaani, Finland. The village has a population of about 750. The Jormua Ophiolite The Jormua Ophiolite (Finnish language, Finnish: ''Jormuan ofioliitti'') is a Ophio ...
, Koutaniemi, Kuluntalahti, Lahnasjärvi, Lehtovaara, Linnantaus, Mainua, Murtomäki and
Paltaniemi Paltaniemi is a village on the shores of Lake Oulujärvi, about north of the Kajaani's town center in Kainuu, Finland. It has a population of 291 inhabitants (in December 2020). The Kajaani Airport is located in the eastern side of the village. ...
. Districts of Kajaani include: Heinisuo, Hetteenmäki, Hoikankangas, Huuhkajanvaara, Katiska, Kettu, Komiaho, Kuurna, Kylmä, Kättö, Kätönlahti, Laajankangas, Lehtikangas, Lohtaja, Nakertaja, Onnela, Palokangas, Petäisenniska, Puistola, Purola, Soidinsuo, Suvantola, Teppana, Tihisenniemi, Tikkapuro, Variskangas and Yläkaupunki. Kajaani lies on the Kajaani River, between the lakes of Oulujärvi, which drains to the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...
along the
Oulu River Oulujoki () is a river in North Ostrobothnia, Finland. Its name in Finnish literally means "Oulu River", originally in old Northern Ostrobothnian dialect literally "Flood River". Its origin is Oulujärvi, and its watershed area covers a signif ...
, and
Nuasjärvi Nuasjärvi is a medium-sized lake in Kainuu region in northern Finland. It is located in Sotkamo and it belongs to the Oulujoki main catchment area. Between Kajaani and Oulujärvi are the smaller lakes of Sokajärvi and Paltajärvi, which are frozen during winter. Paltajärvi stands between the Kajaani River and Oulujärvi. The Kajaani and Vuolijoki rivers are noted for their fishing. The island of Käkisaari lies on lake Oulujärvi to the northwest of the town and features residential houses and about 150 summer cottages and holiday apartments, and the island of Toukka lies in the eastern part of the lake. Also within the municipality is the
Laakajärvi Laakajärvi is medium-sized lake in the Vuoksi main catchment area. It is located in Sonkajärvi, Sotkamo and Kajaani municipalities, in the regions of Northern Savonia and Kainuu in Finland.Great black-backed gull The great black-backed gull (''Larus marinus'') is the largest member of the gull family. It is a very aggressive hunter, pirate, and scavenger which breeds on the coasts and islands of the North Atlantic in northern Europe and northeastern Nort ...
and
osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...
s. The surrounding area is dominated by mainly conifer forest, with broad-leafed birch and alder woods on some of the steeper banks and streams. An early 20th century analysis of vegetation cover in Kajaani county recorded 385 different species of vascular plants. Talaskangas Nature Reserve, with nearly pristine natural forest and about 50 different wildlife species, is in the Vieremä and Sonkajärvi local area. Logging was planned in the 1980s, but environmental activists prevented exploitation through lobbying. The reserve was formally established in 1994.


Climate

Kajaani lies within the
subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
zone (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Dfc''), but the proximity of the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
and warm airflows from the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
(as well as warm current) result in a much milder climate than many locations at this latitude. Summers are cool, with the hottest month usually in July, with the average high temperature reaching , although during severe heatwaves highs of have been reached in July and August and a local record of 34.5 °C (94.1 °F), was registered in July during the heatwave of 2010. The summers also have the most rainfall, reaching a peak in July with . Rainfall is fairly constant throughout the year, with no dry season. Winters can be harsh, and temperatures can drop below . The peak of the cold season on average lasts from December 11 to March 8, with an average daily high temperature below , with the greatest snowfall in January.


Demographics

As of , the municipality has a population of (around 34,000 in the town itself) and covers an area of of which is water. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
is . The municipality is unilingually Finnish (only of people from Kajaani speak
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
as their first language).


Government

The Kajaani City Council consists of 51 members and following the 2021 municipal elections the seats are divided for the Centre Party (12), the
Finns Party The Finns Party ( , PS; , Sannf), formerly known as the True Finns, is a right-wing populist political party in Finland. It was founded in 1995 following the dissolution of the Finnish Rural Party. The party achieved its electoral breakthro ...
(11), the Left Alliance (9), the
National Coalition Party The National Coalition Party (NCP; , Kok; , Saml) is a liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland. It is the current governing political party of Finland. Founded in 1918, the ...
(8), the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...
(6), the
Green League The Green League, ( , Vihr; ; ; ; ) shortened to the Greens, (; ) is a green political party in Finland. Ideologically, the Green League is positioned on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a reformist party and it supports femi ...
(4) and the
Christian Democrats Christian democracy is an ideology inspired by Christian social teaching to respond to the challenges of contemporary society and politics. Christian democracy has drawn mainly from Catholic social teaching and neo-scholasticism, as well a ...
(1). The chairperson of the City Council is Eila Aavakare from the Finns Party. The 11-member City Government is headed by Teuvo Hatva. The Mayor, whose duty is that of a civil servant independent of the city council, is Jari Tolonen.


Economy

The budgeted income of Kajaani was FIM 930 million in 1996. In its earlier history, Kajaani was a thriving center of the tar industry. A channel built in 1846 especially for the transportation of tar out of the town still exists today. Today the local economy is driven by mainly the
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
,
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
and
paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
industries. Kajaani paper mill, established in 1907 by Kajaani Oy (ex Kajaanin Puutavara Osakeyhtio), was the largest private employer in Kajaani. The factories are on the river bank, at Tihisenniemi. They built a new paper machine in the town in 1980 which was projected to have an annual output of 170,000 tons. Kajaani Oy was eventually acquired by
Valmet Valmet Oyj, a Finnish company, is a developer and supplier of process technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp, paper, energy industries. Flow control serves a wider base of process industries. History 1999–2012 Valmet ...
in 1983, and the subsidiary Kajaani Electronics was formed. Kajaani Electronics was cited as "one of the leading makers of special sensors and analyzers for the pulp and paper industry" in 1990. When the paper mill was acquired by
UPM Kymmene UPM-Kymmene Oyj is a Finnish forest industry company. UPM-Kymmene was formed by the merger of Kymmene Corporation with Repola Oy and its subsidiary United Paper Mills Ltd in 1996. UPM consists of six business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM ...
in 1989 it became the third-largest paper company in Finland. It closed in 2008 due to lack of profitability and high energy costs, but has since continued its operations, and was sold to Pölkky Oy in 2012. In the early 1970s an electronics manufacturing plant was built in Kajaani, and the firm Kajaani Automation was established in 1980. As of 1999 the peat industry in Kajaani earned FIM 0.5 million annually. Some 222 hectares is allocated to peat production, with private firm Vapo Oy contracted to exploit it and deliver peat to the power plant. According to 1999 figures, Kajaani earns FIM 3 million a year by selling forestry products, and also receives a sizable income from tourist-related activities from its forests. Fishing also contributes to the income of people in the town. Kajaani has three main hotels, the 191-room Scandic Kajanus Kajaani, Hotel Kajaani and Original Sokos Hotel Valjus, although the Karolineburg Manor House now also functions as a hotel with 20 rooms. The ''Sirius'' restaurant, cited as the best restaurant in the town, serves Finnish cuisine, and is housed in a former government building which hosted conferences between
Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...
and
Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...
. Also of note is the Chinese restaurant ''Golden Dragon'', the ''Torero'' which serves Spanish cuisine, ''Hospoda Kourna'' and ''Pikantti''. The Central Hospital of Kainuu, which serves the wider region, is situated in Kajaani. Opened in 1968, it has a number of specialist medical departments andworks in cooperation with the
Oulu University Hospital Oulu University Hospital (OUH, ) is a university hospital in Oulu, Finland. It is the northernmost of the five university hospitals in Finland. The Oulu University Hospital is affiliated with the University of Oulu, and it is used as a teaching ...
. The town also has an eye clinic.
Kainuu Brigade Kainuu brigade (; ) is a Finnish Army unit situated in Kajaani. The brigade is one of the biggest army units, training approximately 4000 conscripts annually. The Kainuu Brigade is one of the three readiness brigades in the Finnish Army. The bri ...
, a unit of the
Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( , ) is the army, land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, Combat engineering, engineer ...
established in 1966, is the third biggest employer in the city. The brigade trains around 4,000 conscripts each year and employs 500 military personnel and 100 civilians.


Landmarks

Kajaani Castle The Kajaani Castle (, , ''Kajaneborgs slott'', older spelling ''Cajanaborg'') is a ruined fortress built of granite in Kajaani. The castle was built in the early 17th century on an islet in the Kajaani River, between the Ämmäkoski and Koivuko ...
, located on an island on the Kajaani river in the centre of the city, was originally built in 1604 and was commissioned by
Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl (; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric XIV and of ...
. The castle served as an administrative centre,
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
,
military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
and a refuge for the citizens. The Town Hall of Kajaani, on the main square, Raatihuoneentori, was built to the design of Carl Engel in 1831 with a central rooftop clocktower and turret. It underwent restoration in 1990 when it was painted in a "fetching yellow ochre" color. Kajaani Church was built in 1896 in the Neo-Gothic style by architect Jac Ahrenberg. It replaced an earlier church on the spot which was originally built in 1656 and destroyed by the Russians in 1716 at the time when Kajaani castle was destroyed. The second church was built 1734-35 which served the parish for 160 years until replaced with Ahrenberg's new church. The church, built from wood, has three naves and features a delicate, slender bell tower. It is decorated with English Gothic style carvings. Kajaani Orthodox Church (''Kajaanin ortodoksinen seurakunta''), which has a regional membership of about 1880 members is centred at Christ Church of the Transfiguration in Kajaani. The church was completed in 1959 to designs by Ilmari Ahonen. It contains murals painted by Petros Sasaki and Alkiviadis Kepolas. In the suburb of Paltaniemi is a church, originally built in 1599, and considered to be the regional centre for the
Lutheran Church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
. There is a mosque in the town, which is the center of the regional Kainuu Islamic community, which in 2013 had 174 members. Eino Leno House, containing a cafe, was built in 1978 to commemorate famous poet
Eino Leino Eino Leino (born Armas Einar Leopold Lönnbohm; 6 July 1878 – 10 January 1926) was a Finnish poet and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry and a national poet of Finland. His poems combine modern and Finnish fo ...
, a native of the town. Keisarintalli, a wooden stable, was used as a boarding house for Tsar
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...
during his tour of Finland in 1819. Also of note is the Urho Kekkonen Memorial, dedicated to the eighth Finnish president,
Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...
. The high monument was carved by sculptor Pekka Kauhanen and was unveiled on 3 September 1990, exactly 90 years after Kekkonen's birth.


Culture

The Kajaani Town Theatre, established in 1969, puts on plays and concerts, typically seen by around 200 people. The Art Museum of Kajaani ('), located in a building that was a police station, which is connected to Kajaani's former city hall. was founded in 1993 and centers on Finnish
modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
.Kainuu Museum
(') displays information related to the tar industry, the ''Kalevala'' (the national epic of Finland) and author
Elias Lönnrot Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
and others on the ground floor, and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions upstairs. The most notable annual cultural events in Kajaani are Kajaanin Runoviikko (The Kajaani Poetry Week), originally known as Sana ja Sävel, and Kainuun JazzKevät (The Kainuu Jazz Spring). Kajaani Orchestra began in the 1950s, and was expanded when the Kuopio garrison band moved to Kajaani in 1963.
Radio Kajaus Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to ...
, one of Finland's oldest local radios, began operations in Kajaani in 1989, and remains one of the few completely independent radio stations in Finland.
Kainuu Radio Kainuu (), also historically known as Cajania (), is one of the 19 regions of Finland (''maakunta'' / ''landskap''). Kainuu borders the regions of North Ostrobothnia, North Savo and North Karelia. In the east, it also borders Russia (Republic of ...
, which belongs to the
Yle Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...
, broadcasts Monday to Friday from 6.30 to 17.00.


Education

The town is served by the Kajaani University of Applied Sciences, a small university of applied sciences which was established in 1992. It provides courses in Activity Tourism, Information Systems, Nursing and Healthcare, Mechanical and Mining Engineering and Business and Innovations, and offers 8 Bachelor's degree programmes and 5 Master programmes delivered in Finnish. The Research Center for Developmental Teaching and Learning at Kajaani University Consortium is associated with the
University of Oulu The University of Oulu () is one of the largest universities in Finland, located in the city of Oulu. It was founded on July 8, 1958. The university has around 14,200 students and 3,800 staff. 21 International Master's Programmes are offer ...
. There is also a polytechnical institute in Kajaani, which had an enrollment of 653 students in the mid 1990s. In 2022, the 550 PetaFLOP
LUMI LUMI (Large Unified Modern Infrastructure) is a petascale supercomputer located at the CSC data center in Kajaani, Finland. In January 2023, the computer became the fastest supercomputer in Europe. The completed system consists of 362,496 core ...
(''Large Unified Modern Infrastructure'') supercomputer began operation at the CSC data center in the town, where it has been confirmed as the fastest supercomputer in Europe and among the top five in the world. The government-run Kainuu Music Institute was founded in 1957, and is part of the Kaukametsä Congress and Culture Centre. It is one of the largest musical institutes in Finland, with an enrollment of about 900 from the wider Kainuu region. Kainuu Music dance department Ballet Kaukametsä teaches dance to dancers of different ages. The public library of Kajaani is situated on Kauppakatu street and has free Internet access, and there is also a mobile library service. The ''Kajaani Journal'' has been publishing since at least 1919.


Sports

Kajaani has two football clubs,
AC Kajaani AC Kajaani was a association football, football club from Kajaani, Finland. The club was formed in 2006 after the merger of FC Tarmo and Kajaanin Palloilijat (KaPa). Their home ground was Kajaanin Liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team la ...
and
Kajaanin Haka Kajaanin Haka (abbreviated KajHa) is a football club from Kajaani in Finland. The club was formed in 1953 and their home ground is at the Kajaanin liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team currently plays in the Kolmonen (Third Division). ...
. AC Kajaani was formed in 2006 after the merger of FC Tarmo and Kajaanin Palloilijat (KaPa), and plays their home games at the Kajaanin Liikuntapuisto. The men's football first team currently plays in the
Kakkonen Kakkonen or II divisioona is the fourth level in the league system of Finnish football and comprises 36 Finnish football teams. Until the end of 2023, ''Kakkonen'' was the third-highest level in Finland, but after the creation of new second-t ...
(Division 2). Kajaanin Haka was formed in 1953 and plays at the Kajaanin liikuntapuisto stadium. The men's football first team currently plays in the
Kolmonen Kolmonen or III divisioona is the fifth level in the Finnish football league system, league system of Finnish football and comprises 108 Finland, Finnish football (soccer), football teams. The III divisioona was introduced in 1973 and in the mi ...
(Division 3). The local
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team,
Hokki Kajaanin Hokki was a Finnish ice hockey team based at Kajaani. The team was founded in 1968 and folded in 2025 due to bankruptcy. The last season of Hokki was the 2024-25 Mestis season where they positioned last. The club Hokki was promoted f ...
, plays in the
Mestis Mestis (from , meaning 'Championship series', stylized as MEST1S) is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division ...
league. Kajaani ice rink (Kajaanin jäähalli) was inaugurated in 1989 and accommodates for 2372 spectators, 781 in seating and 1591 in standing. There is a race course (Kajaanin ravirata) about to the north of the centre of Kajaani in Kuluntalahden, which hosts competitions only during the summer season. The track was completed in 2008 with a new café-restaurant. Kajaani has hiking paths, skiing tracks, gyms, and sports grounds within the municipality. Pöllyvaara and the Vimpeli Hills are notable local ski areas, frequented by tourists during the winter months. Fishing is popular along the banks of the river. Kajaani also has a golf course, and there are also several dancing pavilions in the town.


Transport

There are two important highways from the direction of
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
to Kajaani: Highway 5 ( E63) and
Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH6 (highway), Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * :de:Nationalstraße 6 (Albanien), National Road SH6 Argentina * P ...
. In addition, Highway 22 leads to Kajaani from the direction of
Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
. There is a daily bus service operating between Kajaani, Oulu,
Kemijärvi Kemijärvi (; ; ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the sub-region of Eastern Lapland. History The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika Halonen, who moved from the region of Oulu, fro ...
and
Rukatunturi Rukatunturi () is a high fell and a ski resort in Kuusamo, Finland. Apart from downhill skiing, there are over 500 km of cross-country skiing tracks. Also snowmobiles can be rented to enjoy some of the area's 600 km of snowmobile ro ...
, and Bus No.4 runs hourly during weekdays from Pohjolankatu in Kajaani to Paltaniemi. During the summer months there is a cruise service operating between Joensuu and Nurmes.
Kajaani railway station The Kajaani railway station was built from 1904 to 1905, when the railway from Iisalmi to Kajaani was completed as an extension to the Savonia railway. The station building was designed by Gustaf Nyström. This Jugend-style building has been cal ...
opened in 1905 when the railway from
Iisalmi Iisalmi (; ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in the regions of Finland, region of Northern Savonia in Finland. It is located north of Kuopio and south of Kajaani. The municipality has a population of (), ...
to Kajaani was completed as an extension to the Savonia railroad. The station building was designed by
Gustaf Nyström Gustaf Nyström (21 January 1856 – 30 December 1917) was a Finnish architect. Nyström has been described as one of the most important architects in Finland at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He was active bot ...
. The Kajaani station trackyard underwent significant upgrading and repair work in 2005, when the railway from Iisalmi to Kontiomäki was electrified. Four trains arrive daily from Helsinki via Kouvola and Kuopio, with the journey taking 7–10 hours to Helsinki depending on the train. There are also daily trains from
Joensuu Joensuu (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Karelia. It is located in the eastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Joensuu is approximately , while the sub-region has a population ...
, and connecting trains between
Nurmes is a town and municipality of Finland, located in the county of North Karelia. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Juuka, Kuhmo, Lieksa, Rautavaa ...
and Kajaani.
Kajaani Airport Kajaani Airport is an airport in Paltaniemi, Kajaani, Finland, approximately northwest of Kajaani city centre. History Construction of the airport began in 1939 with the runway being completed in the autumn. However, because of the outbreak of ...
, approximately northwest of Kajaani in the Paltaniemi area, is the main local airport. It is operated by
Finavia Finavia Oyj, formerly the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the public limited company responsible for maintaining and developing Finland's airport network. Finavia manages and develops 20 airports around the country, 18 of which pri ...
, and also serves needs of non-commercial general aviation. Construction of the airport began in 1939 with the runway being completed in the autumn, but due to World War it was not fully opened until 22 June 1956.
Aegean Airlines Aegean Airlines S.A. (legal name , ''Aeroporía Aigaíou'' ) is the flag carrier of Greece and the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carried, by number of destinations served, and by fleet size. A Star Alliance member since Jun ...
and
Flybe Nordic Nordic Regional Airlines Oy (abbreviated as Norra and often stylised as N°RRA, previously ''Flybe Nordic'') is a Finnish regional airline based on the grounds of Helsinki Airport. Norra is owned as a joint venture by Finnair, Finland's flag ...
provides flights to
Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...
and
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. The
Finnair Finnair Plc (, ) is the flag carrier and largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, with headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its airline hub, hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...
connection to Helsinki operates during the summer twice daily and three times a day during the winter schedule period. In 2013 the airport served 74,558 passengers.


Notable people

*
Antti Halonen Antti Halonen (born February 2, 1982) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for KalPa in the Finnish Liiga. Halonen returned to KalPa after two seasons with Timrå IK Timrå IK is a professional Swedish ice hock ...
, ice hockey player *
Eino Leino Eino Leino (born Armas Einar Leopold Lönnbohm; 6 July 1878 – 10 January 1926) was a Finnish poet and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry and a national poet of Finland. His poems combine modern and Finnish fo ...
, poet and journalist *
Elias Lönnrot Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
, philologist and poetry collector; compiler of ''
The Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...
'' * Henrik Flöjt, biathlon athlete *
Janari Jõesaar Janari Jõesaar (born 8 December 1993) is an Estonian professional basketball player for Bosna of the Bosnian League and the ABA League. He is a tall small forward. He played college basketball for the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas–Pan Ameri ...
, Estonian men's national basketball team player *
Jorma Korhonen Jorma Petteri Korhonen (born 23 March 1968) is a Finnish judoka. He competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially br ...
, judoka *
Jouko Karjalainen Jouko Karjalainen (born 27 July 1956 in Kajaani) is a Finnish former nordic combined skier. He won two silver medals in the individual Nordic combined at the 1980 Winter Olympics and the 1984 Winter Olympics. Karjalainen also has four FIS Nordi ...
, skier *
Marko Kemppainen Marko Kemppainen (born 13 July 1976 in Kajaani) is a Finnish sports shooter. He competes in skeet shooting. He was a silver medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics Kemppainen won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championship in Cairo Cairo ...
, skeet shooter *
Matti Heikkinen Matti Heikkinen (born 19 December 1983 in Kajaani) is a Finnish former cross-country skier and World Champion who competed from 2002 to 2019. Career Heikkinen won his first World Championship at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 in Hol ...
, skier *
Mika Lavento Mika Tapio Lavento (born 29 March 1962) is a Finnish archaeologist. He has worked as the Professor of Archaeology at the University of Helsinki since 2004. Early life Lavento was born in Kajaani on 29 March 1962, to father, dentist Ari Lavento ...
, professor of archaeology * Olli Malmivaara, ice hockey player *
Pekka Suorsa Pekka Antero Suorsa (born 8 December 1967) is a Finnish former ski jumper. He competed in the large hill event at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Career He won a gold medal in the team large hill at the 1987 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Obers ...
, ski jumper *
Riku Nieminen Riku Nieminen (born 5 May 1986) is a Finnish actor and dancer. He is best known for having appeared in the first five seasons of the sketch comedy television show '' Putous'' and for his character Munamies ("Eggy"). Nieminen also appeared as one o ...
, actor and dancer *
Sakari Kukko Jyrki Sakari Kukko, (born 8 July 1953, Kajaani, Finland) is a Finnish musician.Rantala, Risto (main ed.): Who's who: Personal data about the current generation of Finns 2007. Helsinki: Otava, 2006. ISBN 951-1-20606-0. p.445. Career Kukko starte ...
, musician * Tommi Leinonen, ice hockey player *
Urho Kekkonen Urho Kaleva Kekkonen (; 3 September 1900 – 31 August 1986), often referred to by his initials UKK, was a Finnish politician who served as the eighth and longest-serving president of Finland from 1956 to 1982. He also served as Prime Minister ...
, 8th President of Finland *
Kasperi Heikkinen Kasperi Heikkinen (born 1980) is a Finnish guitarist who is best known as a former member of symphonic power metal band Amberian Dawn. He played in the band from early 2007 until late 2012. He is also the guitarist for Finnish metal bands Mergi ...
, Guitar player


International relations


Twin towns — Sister cities

Kajaani is twinned with:


See also

*
Kuusamo Kuusamo (; ; ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is located in Koillismaa, the northeastern part of the Northern Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. The municipality h ...
*
Oulu Oulu ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...
*
Sotkamo Sotkamo is a municipality of Finland, located in the Kainuu region about east of Kajaani, the capital of Kainuu. Vuokatti, in west of Sotkamo, is the most populous village in the municipality and also a popular skiing resort. Both Hiidenportti ...
*
Vuolijoki Vuolijoki () is a List of former municipalities of Finland, former municipality in Finland. The municipality was consolidated with the city of Kajaani in the beginning of year 2007. Vuolijoki was located in the provinces of Finland, province of ...


References


External links


Town of Kajaani
– Official website {{authority control Cities and towns in Finland Municipalities of Kainuu Grand Duchy of Finland Populated places established in 1651 1651 establishments in Sweden